“Good grief,” I said with a puff of disgust as the phrase came to me. “I suppose you can’t say ‘sissies’ any more.” Somebody out there will be saying that it proves you should be labeled as a despicable piece of work and moved to the cancel bin.
You have to be sensitive these days to what words you say and how you say them. Sensitive ears are listening and anxious.
Far be it from me to crack somebody else’s reality bubble. Yours is as valid to you as mine is to me after all. And I respect that. But I gotta say [Warning–Brief Rant Ahead] that all too many reality bubbles out there seem to have paper-thin walls. And not only that, but they seem well-prepared mightily to defend those walls against the smallest tear as well. It’s a touchy situation. Confrontational even, in some cases. You have to carry a censor with you everywhere you go. You have to be ready to bite your tongue, to dig around in your tact bag to see if there’s an acceptable way to say what you want to say. I miss the day when I could say whatever popped into my mind without a second thought. It’s a freedom lost. Another one.
Anyway, the phrase “Joy ain’t for sissies,” floated into my mind, as I was thinking about writing this letter. Heck, I thought to myself after doing a little survey of the lives I see around me, life itself ain’t for sissies. Life takes a fistful of stubborn courage these days if you’re paying any attention at all. Every last one of us is facing serious challenges.
You have to decide who you’ll be and stick with it, no matter how hard the winds of fate blow. That’s what makes you a warrior, by the way. It’s a discipline. The more you practice being who you choose to be, the better you get at it. And the better you get at it, the more challenging the next test of your dedication will be. That’s how we evolve.
Personally, I have chosen to serve in the Order of Joy Warriors. I have a friend who is a Focus Warrior. Her mission is to master the art of putting everything aside but her focused attention to the task at hand. And I must tell you, she creates amazing works. I know a Truth Warrior, too , and several Persistence Warriors.
Every warrior’s path has its own custom-tailored obstacles. And every path will push you to your limits and then invite you to push beyond them. All of them come with bruises and breaks and pain. And every last single one of them is so worth it that, in the long run, all the troubles completely lose their sting, and melt and flow away.
It doesn’t matter if you know what kind of warrior you are or not. Naming it is just one of the tools some of us use to keep ourselves on track. All you have to do is learn to listen to the true voice of your heart. Practice that. It’s a good way to stay sane.
Warmly,
Susan
Image by Mark Frost from Pixabay